I’ve finally got to the point where I admit I have a problem, I’m an addict and now the Sounders year is done I’m not sure what I’m going to do about it.
Lets take baseball as an example; I’ve watched maybe 3 or 4 baseball games all year. Then all of a sudden twitter went crazy with people talking about game 6 of the World Series. I put down the paintbrush, switched on the TV and spent the next couple of hours watching one of the most astounding games I’ve ever seen.
Sports are a big part of my life. Other than a little rallying I don’t take part in organized sport anymore. In the past I’ve played a rugby and football, never to a particularly high standard, but I’ve always had fun and certainly enjoyed the social side of the games.
I’ve been wondering what about sport that draws us in in such a way. First up is the drama, the whole on any given Saturday thing, any team can have a bad day, a little tough luck or a bad decision or two and loose.
There was a huge miss-match last week, Aldershot (League-2) hosting Manchester United (current Premier League champions). On paper The Shots have no chance, and indeed United efficiently dispatched them 3-0, but before kickoff there were thousands of Aldershot fans thinking, “Just maybe it’s our night.”
That thought is what makes sports so special. We get to watch the story unfold knowing that no director or writer has predetermined the outcome, and that uncertainty draws us in and can give us the rush that brings us back.
Wednesday I watched the Sounders play, they needed a spectacular win and so nearly got it. Walking through the gates into the stadium I believed we would do it. I was emotionally invested in the result and it was one of the best atmospheres I’ve encountered all year.
Thursday I arrived in LA for BlogWorld, checked in and I wandered along to the conference center in LA, went through registration, enjoyed the opening night keynote and was thinking about what I was going to do that evening.
There were a number of options. Obviously the opening night party was one, a rally friend talked about meeting for dinner (that was Saturday). Across town Galaxy were playing New York Red Bull in the other MLS conference semifinal game. I was giving serious consideration to going to that game. Beckham, Donovan, Henry and so on, it had the potential to be an interesting game.
However the walk back to the Sheraton took me past the Staples Center. The Kings were playing the Oilers; I’ve caught a couple of games on CBUT this year and the Oilers look like a very good side. It was almost game time and those with spare tickets were getting desperate. I got offered a $60 ticket for $30 and suddenly I was going to hockey.
I could not help myself; this stuff is like crack to me.
What did I see? A fun game, Oilers won 3-0 and once the second period started the game was never in real doubt. But it’s the potential of seeing something special. The real, unpredictable drama that is meaningful to those who are passionately invested.
For me, it was fun to see that investment from the outside looking in. As ever the losers have a chance to come back and fight another day. I sat there and watched the real-world drama unfold; the best part was leaving someone else with an unhappy ending. I needed that after Wednesday.
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- Aldershot 0 Manchester United 3: match report (telegraph.co.uk)
- Manchester United discipline hailed by Sir Alex Ferguson after Aldershot breeze (telegraph.co.uk)
